Lessons in bus etiquette!

Unfortunately, I don’t have a car in Spain and have no intentions of driving here. (It’s scary enough as a pedestrian, let alone being a driver amongst scary traffic and also having to be mindful of pedestrians!!). So, my new (and just generally getting out and about) job requires me to go back to my student days and catch the bus! And tram! Me catching a bus in England is unheard of! The minute I passed my test, my bus days were over! And frankly, if I didn’t have a car I’d rather walk! But here it is too far and too dangerous! And as I’ve arrived a few days early before my new job starts, I want to do a little exploring and familiarise myself with my new surroundings. And it would seem that I have a few lessons to learn in bus etiquette!

Here the buses are around 1.40€ for a single ticket. But there is a travel card (as one of my language exchange partners explained to me) tarjeta transporte pass, that you can buy from most places such as newsagents, shopping centres or tobacos shops. The card can be topped up at most stops and costs around 7€.

I asked one of my colleagues if they wouldn’t mind accompanying work me after work to purchase one of these travel cards. Mainly on account that I didn’t have a clue what I was asking for, or how to ask for it!

Travel card purchased and I was ready to catch the bus, even if it was only two stops back to where I was staying! My colleague needed to get a different bus but kindly walked to my stop with me first. As the bus approached we were engrossed in conversation. The stop was packed – just one of my many dislikes of buses!

We quickly say our goodbyes as I knew I had to be quick if I was going to get on this bus! I manage to squeeze on through the crowd, but already wish I’d decided to walk! There was nowhere to sit, so I had to stand holding onto the metal pole for dear life and brace myself for going round corners and roundabouts.

I couldn’t help feeling like the other passengers were staring at me as the bus pulled out of the stop. I looked up and opposite me, there were two girls. One with short hair and glasses, the other with short bobbed hair. Maybe I was being being paranoid, but they appeared to be glaring at me! Then next to me was an elderly man looking at me over his glasses. Why do people do that? I don’t see the point in even wearing glasses! That and his trousers were up to his chest, he had nothing on Simon Cowell!

Why do they keep looking at me? I thought to myself it must be because I’m a foreigner! I must have looked confused and a bit out of place. There were also two ladies standing side by side muttering loudly in Spanish who kept glancing over at me. ‘What!’ I think to myself!! The bus stops at the next stop and a teenage girl steps on.

I suddenly realise that I haven’t swiped my bus card! My colleague had told me there are big fines for not doing so and inspectors step on to check regularly.

So that’s why everyone been looking at me in a peculiar way! Did they think I was trying to dodge my fare? Maybe they were all waiting for an inspector to pounce on me at the next stop. In Spain, Travel cards are obviously taken quite seriously! Lessons in bus etiquette duly noted!

I just looked out of the window. Too embarrassed to swipe it by that point. I was only making 2 stops, so not too much harm done surely? At least I knew what I needed to do next time to prevent all those disapproving glances and stares, and somehow I don’t think I was going to forget! Thankfully when I got to my stop there was no Spanish version of Inspector Blakey from On The Buses waving his clipboard at me!

After that, I don’t really fancy further lessons in bus etiquette! But I don’t think I’ll be forgetting to swipe my card next time some how.